Paterson firefighter adopts dog rescued from face of cliff

MORRIS PLAINS — The DiFalcos decided their new white poodle mix would be named Easter.

“She looks like an Easter bunny with the red skin,” said Paul DiFalco, a Little Falls resident who came to the Animal Clinic of Morris Plains on Sunday with his wife and two children.

Mitsu Yasukawa/ Staff Photographer

From left, Paul DiFalco of Little Falls, Alesandra DiFalco and Paul DiFalco after they adopted the dog Sunday. t

Easter’s skin was buried in a carpet of matted hair two weeks ago, when she was found trapped midway up a steep cliff at Garret Mountain Park.

A volunteer rappelled down with a dog snare to carry her up to safety after three hours of rescue attempts by about 25 Paterson firefighters, a handful of Passaic County Sheriff’s officers and Paterson’s animal control officer.

On Sunday, as Easter was let out of her cage so the DiFalcos could take her home, she bounced around the waiting room, panting as she climbed people’s legs.

The day after Easter’s rescue, she was taken to the clinic, where veterinary technicians clipped the coils of fur dangling from her body. Her long, unwashed hair got in her eyes and caused an infection, Sedlacek said.

Her only problem now is a sore nose, he said, from her putting her face up against her cage. “That’s because she wants to be with us,” Sedlacek said.

Paul DiFalco, a Paterson firefighter, said he heard about the dog from his coworkers involved in the rescue effort, but it wasn’t until Cheryl saw a picture of the dog, whom the firefighters were calling Clover, in the Herald News the day after the rescue that the family decided to adopt her.

“Just the fact that the dog was found the way it was,” Cheryl DiFalco said. “My heart broke and I just said, ‘I know we can give that dog a good home.’ ”

Sedlacek said he suspected Easter had been abandoned, and her unkempt fur suggested she wasn’t well taken care of.

At 7:30 a.m., Cheryl called Second Chance Pet Adoption League, which was handling Easter’s adoption, and left a message. She would end up being one of 50 people calling about the dog and among the 10 submitting an application to adopt her, said Stephanie Pearl, president of Second Chance.

The non-profit’s volunteers bring dozens of animals up for adoption to the Morris Plains clinic on Sundays from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and list them at secondchance.petfinder.com.

The DiFalcos visited the clinic the week of the rescue to see if Easter would get along with their other dog. She did.

Pearl chose the DiFalcos, she said, because they live close to the clinic and have someone at home during the day.

“She gets anxious and barks when she's left alone,” Pearl said.

When Easter was found on the cliff, she didn’t have a tag or microchip to locate her owner. No one has stepped forward to claim her.

As the DiFalcos entered the clinic on Sunday, they weren’t sure what to name their new dog. Easter was popular, but they also liked Lucky.

Paul DiFalco said a friend suggested the name “Cliff” because of where she was found.

“If it was a guy, maybe,” said his daughter, Alesandra.

Then Cheryl said to a TV camera the dog would be named Easter. So Easter it was.

Because of who led the rescue effort, they had already decided her middle name would be Paterson.

Paterson firefighter adopts dog rescued from face of cliff

From left, Paul DiFalco of Little Falls, Alesandra DiFalco and Paul DiFalco after they adopted the dog Sunday. t

By MINJAE PARK

staff writer |

The Record

MORRIS PLAINS — The DiFalcos decided their new white poodle mix would be named Easter.

“She looks like an Easter bunny with the red skin,” said Paul DiFalco, a Little Falls resident who came to the Animal Clinic of Morris Plains on Sunday with his wife and two children.

Easter’s skin was buried in a carpet of matted hair two weeks ago, when she was found trapped midway up a steep cliff at Garret Mountain Park.

A volunteer rappelled down with a dog snare to carry her up to safety after three hours of rescue attempts by about 25 Paterson firefighters, a handful of Passaic County Sheriff’s officers and Paterson’s animal control officer.

On Sunday, as Easter was let out of her cage so the DiFalcos could take her home, she bounced around the waiting room, panting as she climbed people’s legs.

The day after Easter’s rescue, she was taken to the clinic, where veterinary technicians clipped the coils of fur dangling from her body. Her long, unwashed hair got in her eyes and caused an infection, Sedlacek said.

Her only problem now is a sore nose, he said, from her putting her face up against her cage. “That’s because she wants to be with us,” Sedlacek said.

Paul DiFalco, a Paterson firefighter, said he heard about the dog from his coworkers involved in the rescue effort, but it wasn’t until Cheryl saw a picture of the dog, whom the firefighters were calling Clover, in the Herald News the day after the rescue that the family decided to adopt her.

“Just the fact that the dog was found the way it was,” Cheryl DiFalco said. “My heart broke and I just said, ‘I know we can give that dog a good home.’ ”

Sedlacek said he suspected Easter had been abandoned, and her unkempt fur suggested she wasn’t well taken care of.

At 7:30 a.m., Cheryl called Second Chance Pet Adoption League, which was handling Easter’s adoption, and left a message. She would end up being one of 50 people calling about the dog and among the 10 submitting an application to adopt her, said Stephanie Pearl, president of Second Chance.

The non-profit’s volunteers bring dozens of animals up for adoption to the Morris Plains clinic on Sundays from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and list them at secondchance.petfinder.com.

The DiFalcos visited the clinic the week of the rescue to see if Easter would get along with their other dog. She did.

Pearl chose the DiFalcos, she said, because they live close to the clinic and have someone at home during the day.

“She gets anxious and barks when she's left alone,” Pearl said.

When Easter was found on the cliff, she didn’t have a tag or microchip to locate her owner. No one has stepped forward to claim her.

As the DiFalcos entered the clinic on Sunday, they weren’t sure what to name their new dog. Easter was popular, but they also liked Lucky.

Paul DiFalco said a friend suggested the name “Cliff” because of where she was found.

“If it was a guy, maybe,” said his daughter, Alesandra.

Then Cheryl said to a TV camera the dog would be named Easter. So Easter it was.

Because of who led the rescue effort, they had already decided her middle name would be Paterson.